Chapter 187: Chapter 187

Mr. Li sprang up from his bed as soon as he heard the news, barefoot and ready to walk out, but Li Xianglu quickly grabbed him and insisted, "I’ll go, I’ll go!"

She dashed to the phone but got no answer from Xu Xi’s side, so she hurriedly called the Shanghai office, simply stating that Grandpa was better now and to not worry.

After hanging up, she quickly helped Mr. Li back onto the bed: "Grandpa, you’ve brought this upon yourself. Why act like Lin Daiyu? Now look what happened."

"What?" Mr. Li smacked his granddaughter’s arm in frustration, saw her wince, and quickly massaged it tenderly, reprimanding, "You child, always overdoing it. Don’t you know Grandma Su can’t come to the country right now? She’d probably have to be questioned as soon as she arrived."

Li Xianglu nodded, saying, "I was rash, but I was worried about you, Grandpa. I think Grandma Su is amazing. If she came and asked, ’Little Li, why are you sick?’ you might have gotten better on the spot!"

Li Huai Ren, vexed, tugged at his granddaughter’s ear and only let go when she yelped in pain: "You, always so thoughtless. Did you learn that from Qin Zhen?"

Alright then, far away in Shanghai, Qin Zhen felt his ear inexplicably burning, though he wasn’t sick.

Alright then, Mr. Li didn’t inquire further, contentedly eating a sea cucumber his granddaughter had steamed with rock sugar, and both grandchild and grandfather refrained from broaching the subject of family origins.

After mulling over it for a few days and being prompted by his granddaughter’s antics, Mr. Li came to terms with not asking who his granddaughter was, especially since she seemed unaware of everything. After all, her affairs were far more mysterious than his own.

When Qin Xi returned in the afternoon, along with Qin Shouren, they were stunned to see Mr. Li practicing Tai Chi in the yard. Wasn’t he bedridden in the morning? How could he be exercising in the afternoon?

Li Xianglu, steaming buns in the kitchen, saw Qin Xi and her father-in-law arrive and hurriedly called out, "Dad, come inside. Grandpa is about done practicing."

Inside the house, Qin Xi curiously asked, "Did you eat some miracle cure? You got better just over the morning?"

Li Xianglu proudly jutted her chin: "Of course, I made him a rock sugar sea ginseng, and he got better right away!"

Qin Xi laughed: "Does everyone get better from eating good food when they’re sick? You’re just greedy!"

Li Xianglu, indignant, was about to strike Qin Xi, but Qin Shouren, watching his son and daughter-in-law’s affectionate banter, felt a surge of emotion.

In the past, he and his wife were as close as two peas in a pod, but she passed away too soon. His own brother continually caused trouble for his son and daughter-in-law.

When the eldest brother mentioned the possibility of the affair between Qin Zhen and Yu Wei being related to Qin Miao, he was furious and couldn’t stand it. Later, when he said the investigation showed no relation, he still couldn’t shake off the suspicion that Qin Miao was involved in some way.

The old man mentioned a few days ago about getting his elder brother a spot to return to the city, and he was likely to set off in March, possibly returning soon.

That evening, Li Xianglu reheated the buns and steamed a fish, serving it with jujube and millet porridge. The millet was good for the stomach, as Grandpa hadn’t eaten properly in days, and suddenly eating something too hard wasn’t good.

Then she served a steamed rock sugar sea cucumber each for her father-in-law and Qin Xi, and followed it up with vinegar-slicked cabbage.

Qin Shouren felt sheepish seeing a sea ginseng in front of himself and his son, saying, "This feels awkward, this thing is good for health, Xiangxiang, why didn’t you make it for Grandpa?"

Li Xianglu smiled, "Dad, look at you, just eat it. Grandpa and I ate it in the morning. You can only have one a day. I’ve packed some for you, with extra rock sugar. Take it and stew it in a tea jar every night, eating one before Grain Rain is good for you!"

Li Huai Ren also urged: "That’s right, Shouren, the kid is right. Remember to soak it before cooking. It’s easy to cook, very nourishing. I had one this morning and I feel much spirited."

Qin Xi watched Li Xianglu proudly lift her chin, looking so happy as if it was indeed the sea cucumber that had brought about Grandpa’s recovery.

After dinner, Mr. Li and Qin Shouren set up for a few rounds of board games. Qin Xi cleared the dishes and went into the kitchen.

Li Xianglu was busy freezing the steamed buns and planned to freeze some dumplings, too. They would be away for a week, so Mr. Li would need to fend for himself for the duration.

While tidying up, Li Xianglu said, "Qin Xi, what do you think about us hiring a housekeeper?"

Qin Xi turned around and nodded, "That’s a good idea. I’m busier now in my second year of college, and coming back every week isn’t realistic. I’m worried about Grandpa being alone at home, so hiring a housekeeper might be the best solution."

Li Xianglu pondered for a moment, then said with frustration, "Who to hire, though? It’s not easy to find someone reliable these days, only through personal referrals. I don’t trust strangers."

Qin Xi smiled and said, "Do you remember the construction worker’s wife from last year’s building project? You said she was a hard worker."

Li Xianglu’s eyes lit up. Yes, that woman was unemployed, her children were at school, and she was at home alone. She was thirty-seven or thirty-eight, a suitable age. Li Xianglu made up her mind: "Alright, let’s hire her. You handle this!"

Qin Xi laughed, "Got it, I’ll take care of it."

Seeing Li Xianglu continue to make dumplings, Qin Xi asked, "You haven’t explained what’s going on with Grandpa, what exactly happened?"

Li Xianglu raised an eyebrow, "Did you notice?"

Qin Xi wanted to roll his eyes but feared stirring her up and only smiled, "Yeah, Grandpa has been off these past days. He’s probably troubled over something." What he hadn’t mentioned was that he had called the nursing home and asked for the name of that old man, a certain Mr. Zhou, who kept muttering about a distant relative’s child who had joined the revolution and then disappeared, someone he had tried to find several times without success.

Li Xianglu finished packing the dumplings in the freezer, washed her hands, and led the way to her bedroom.

Propped lazily against the bed, she recounted the whole incident.

Qin Xi was taken aback as he listened. Nobody knew about these events from the past life.

Why was this being uncovered now? However, such cases weren’t unusual.

Many had lived under assumed names all their lives; no wonder Mr. Li had such a strong reaction to the Zhou surname. Alas, a lifetime of service to the country, yet unable to recognize kin. According to the nursing home’s old man, it seemed like Grandpa Li might still have relatives alive out there.